12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Skyla

L ast night was absolute perfection. Ronan and I made love all night. I'm not even ashamed to be walking with a slight limp this morning from the delicious ache between my thighs.

I sit down at a table with my lunch, Liam by my side as he takes the seat beside me. Maggie sits across from us, and I don't miss how Asher slows by our table, making eye contact with Liam and me before continuing towards a corner table alone.

The pang inside my chest pisses me off. I shouldn't be feeling sympathy for that asshole. Turning away from his penetrating gaze, I smile at Liam. He squeezes my thigh, a teasing lilt to his voice.

"How you holding up, babygirl? Ronan do some damage?"

I scoff, shoving him to the side as I shake my head.

"Seriously? Don't be crass."

Maggie chuckles from across the table, but quiets immediately when I level her with a look. She smashes her lips together, concealing her laughter as she stares down at her plate. I turn back to Liam when two figures catch my attention. Bridgette and Mercy are whispering to each other, shooting me lethal glares before Bridgette stands, walking across the dining hall with her nose in the air.

I track her carefully, unsure of what exactly she is going to try to pull this time.

"Christ, here we go," Liam grumbles under his breath.

"So, what's the deal? Asher isn't good enough for you? You're trying to go after Liam too?" Bridgette says, loud enough for the entire room to hear.

All eyes turn to us, Liam and I make quick work of separating.

"What are you going on about?" Liam scoffs in a casual way, that is honestly pretty damn convincing.

Bridgette turns her eyes to him, her aggressive posture softening slightly.

"I'm just worried about you. She's a master manipulator. The way she is obviously playing Asher, then dragging you into it."

"How about you stop talking about things you know nothing about and go back to your lunch?" I offer.

Her venomous eyes shoot in my direction, her black hair flipping over her shoulder as she closes the distance between us.

"How about you stop whoring yourself around my school and go back to where you came from?" she says, before a hard crack of her hand slaps against my cheek.

Honestly, it's impressive how much it hurts. I didn't think she had it in her. Liam yanks me out of my seat, protectively shoving me behind him before another body darts across the room. Asher is behind Bridgette in a flash, grabbing Maggie's silver fork before plunging it into the back of Bridgette's hand. It effectively pins her hand to the table, and the scream she releases is unlike anything I've ever heard.

An ear piercing shriek fills the room, as several people grimace in disgust. Bridgette tries to pull her hand free but the fork is jammed in so deep, I have no doubt it is there to stay unless someone pulls it out.

Maggie's face is full of panic as she watches Bridgette, her eyes darting to Asher like she's not sure who he will strike next. Asher doesn't pay the screaming banshee any mind, though. Instead, he takes the opportunity to hop up on the table and address the room.

"I thought that we had learned this lesson a while ago, at this very table no less, but perhaps we need a refresher. Skyla is off-limits, period. You will not whisper about her, you will not glare at her and you will most definitely not put hands on her," he says, looking down at Bridgette like the worm she is.

"The next person that even breathes my wife's name, will be leaving this school in a body bag. Clear?"

There is a hushed shock that rolls through the room at the word wife. Honestly, I feel it too. I stare up at an infuriated Asher as he looks down at me, only for a moment. He stomps on the table hard, causing Bridgette to scream in pain.

"I said CLEAR?!"

"Yes!" The room answers in unison.

"Better," he says. "One more thing, you would all do well to keep my bond brother's name out of your fucking mouths as well. Anymore bullshit rumors about my wife, or my brother being unfaithful to me, and you will receive the same treatment."

With that, he jumps off the table, crouching down beside me as he examines my cheek.

"You good?" he asks in a soft tone.

I nod as he does the same, helping me to my feet as he jerks his head to Liam.

"C'mon, let's go."

We both follow him. I can't help but turn my head to see Maggie whispering in Bridgette's ear, petting her head soothingly before she yanks out the fork. Bridgette screams before a sob rips through her. Maggie gathers her into her arms, hushing her softly.

My eyes widen as understanding clicks. Holy shit. The girl from this summer was Bridgette. The girl that Maggie can't get over is Bridgette? Her step-sister? If I had even a smidge of doubt, the look on Maggie's face when our eyes connect solidifies everything I need to know.

I don't have time to do or say anything before Asher is tugging me out of the dining hall and out into the courtyard. We continue moving at a brisk pace. When we are around the side of a building away from prying eyes, Asher releases his hold on me, allowing Liam to gather me into his arms.

He peppers my face with gentle kisses as he shakes his head.

"I'm so sorry she hit you, babygirl. I should have intervened sooner."

"It's fine. At least it wasn't a plate this time," I smile softly, forcing a snarled breath out of Asher.

"I think, if anything, this was a reminder that at school…we need distance. People are suspecting and I…none of us can risk that," I say, hating the pained look on Liam's face as he pulls away from me and nods.

"You're right."

"You should be the only one that she's seen with right now. Keep an eye on her." Liam says to Asher.

Asher's body language is rigid, his arms crossed. He nods but doesn't speak as Liam continues.

"You will keep her safe, right? Please," Liam says, a hint of pleading in his words.

Again, Asher nods, his deep voice taking on a gruff tone.

"I will."

Asher's little display made it around school by the end of my next class. Everywhere I went, everyone kept a large distance between me and them. I heard several people talking about how they didn't know Asher and I were already married, how crazy it is that a legacy got married before induction or graduation. I also heard that Bridgette's hand is fractured, and she had to be taken to the hospital to have surgery on it. Does it make me a bad person that I don't really care?

When news hit Ronan's ears, he pulled me out of class and had Wesley take me home early. He said that he would meet me there as soon as he could. When I got to the parking lot, Wesley was there with a compassionate smile on his face as he held the door open for me. Before we left, I saw Asher climbing into his car and following after us. Guess he's taking Liam's request seriously.

"You want to talk about it?" Wesley asks as he merges lanes.

"About what?" I ask.

"The altercation," he says easily.

I shrug. "At least I don't need stitches this time."

"Stitches?" he frowns.

I nod. "She hit me over the head with a plate. A ton of blood. Super gross," I say, as I wrinkle my nose up in disdain.

Wesley's tone becomes cold and stiff.

"And she wasn't dismissed?"

I turn to look at him with a tilt to my head.

"Dismissed? Like expelled?"

He nods.

"No, I don't think she even got in trouble," I laugh. "Besides Asher choking her, I suppose that was punishment."

"He choked her?" Wesley asks with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, and he stabbed her with a fork today."

He makes a face before looking out the driver's window.

"What?" I ask.

"Hm?"

"That face. What was that about?"

"It's nothing," he says, with a shake of his head and a fake smile.

"Wesley," I say with furrowed brows.

He lets out a slow breath, as he shakes his head again and keeps his eyes forward.

"I just hope that doesn't reach Christopher's ears. He won't like his son getting violent with a daughter of the Brethren. Not a good look."

I hadn't even thought of that. I'd imagine that would be a very bad look for Asher, for all the Putnam's…shit.

We pull up to the house, a heaviness inside the car as he opens the door for me.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"My pleasure," Wesley says, as Asher parks his car.

I begin walking up the steps when I get to the front door and pause. No. Not again.

A white envelope is resting against the doorstep– no name, no return address. Just blank and foreboding.

"Skyla?" Wesley calls out. "Everything okay?"

I don't respond or even move a muscle. I feel a body come up behind me before I smell Asher's cologne. He reaches down, lifting it up before opening it.

"Fingerprints," I say as he tears into it.

His hazel eyes are hard and filled with anger.

"He has yet to make a mistake. I doubt he has this time."

He has a point.

I watch over his shoulder as he opens it, pulling out a photograph. I feel another body come up behind us and I glance to see Wesley, watching us with a deep frown.

"What's going on?"

Turning back to the picture in Asher's hand, my heart stills as I stare at it.

It's a picture of us from today in the dining hall after he stabbed Bridgette, when he was holding my face. It has sharpie drawn over it, a noose around Asher's neck and a veil over my head. There isn't a letter this time, though. Instead, his words are written across the bottom in bold, chunky letters.

HIS WIFE?!

How did he possibly take the picture, print it, draw on it and drop it off before we got here? How is he always one step ahead, one move faster? I swallow roughly as my eyes come to Asher's.

"He knows where we live," I say.

Asher nods as he glances to Wesley.

"The stalker?" Wesley guesses.

I watch as Asher's eyes narrow. "What do you know about it?"

"I know what Ronan deemed necessary to keep Skyla safe."

Asher watches him for several seconds, like he's assessing if Wesley is a threat. He turns back to me, crumpling up the photo and pulling a lighter from his pocket. He sets it on fire, holding on to it until the very last second before letting the charred pieces flutter to the ground.

"Fuck him. I'm not scared," Asher says, as he practically stomps his way into the house.

He might not be, but I am.